Why are Meadowbrook yards being torn up?

The STEP Program is replacing failing septic tanks with "grinder pumps," which will hopefully improve water quality and decrease septic leaching in the area.
Wochit

A grinder pump sits in Walter Kidd's yard in Meadowbrook. Kidd said he has been waiting for about two months for it to be installed. About 200 homes in the area are being connected to the city's sewer system.(Photo: Ruth Serven)

In another step of the process to connect all of Indianapolis to the sewer system, yards in Meadowbrook, near Meridian Hills, are filling with tall black tubes.

They're called "grinder pumps," and they replace independent septic tanks. Once installed, they're sunk into the ground so that only the green cap on top is visible.

But one has been sitting in Walter Kidd's yard for about two months. It's almost as tall as the sapling it stands next to.

"They're behind schedule, I guess," said Kidd, shrugging. "I just mow around it."

Up and down Meadowbrook Drive, Westfield Boulevard and Keystone Avenue, pumps are in various stages of installation. Piles of dirt sit in the yards. Where pumps have been installed, some yards have been filled with hay and grass seed.

Homeowners say they don't mind the mess too much but are ready for construction vehicles and dirt to be out of their neighborhood.

John Lickliter, who lives on Meadowbrook Drive, said his pump was installed about a month ago. He hasn't noticed much of a difference between the systems and said he thought the installation was timely.

All in all, the process from start to finish is supposed to take about seven months, said Jessica Castellanos, a spokeswoman for Citizens Energy Group, which is overseeing the projects.

Two ongoing projects are in neighborhoods bookended by Westfield Boulevard and Keystone Avenue, between 71st and 80th streets. Each neighborhood must be connected to a main line and lateral lines must be installed. Once pipes are in place, the process of sinking the grinder pump takes a day. The group also promises to return to fill in holes and reseed grass.

But that process doesn't always go the way residents would prefer.

"I'm not sure what they're going to do about that," said Sheryl Hawkins, pointing to sunken holes near her sidewalk and flower beds. She said the company partially filled in the holes and put down grass seed, but the lawn is still patchy.

The deadline has passed for residents to enroll in the Westfield Boulevard and Keystone Avenue projects. If residents want to connect to the city's sewers in the future, they will have to pay the connection fee, construction costs and individual contractors' fees, and be responsible for the pump installation.